


The Adventures of Alexander Morcambe and James Lysander

by Tophat_Guy



Category: Original Work
Genre: Description Heavy, Gay Panic, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Not Beta Read, Outer Space, Science Fiction, Space Ships, Worldbuilding, Wow I’m tired, definitely space though, maybe some space pirates?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-04-08 00:36:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19096165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tophat_Guy/pseuds/Tophat_Guy
Summary: Basically some sci-fi stuff, I don’t know.I thought of a sentence and thought ‘oh hey i should write something from that’ and also space is cool.Also writing as practice for english exams whoop





	1. Leaving Home

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first thing I’m putting on here I hope y’all like it  
> This hasn’t been edited either but I might do that at some point.

The rain had begun as a slow drizzle, just over an hour before Alex had needed to set off, but now it was time to leave the cramped compartment he called a home it was hammering down full force. The compartments were little more than old transport crates stacked on top of each other and fitted with neon strip lighting and makeshift balconies, which ladders were attached to so that the residents could manoeuvre from their compartment to the ground, it wasn't safe of course, but there was no one who could be bothered to figure out a better method. Alex couldn't wait to get away from the pesky weather which came with an atmosphere. Especially the kind of wild and unpredictable patterns which came with a heavily damaged atmosphere such as the Earths. More than half of the compartments were deserted due to their past residents leaving Earth and taking to the sky. Today, Alex would join them. If he wasn’t late. Which, naturally, he was.

Alex panted as he reached the bottom of the slope which eventually lead to the Air Docks, he’d had to run to try and make up for lost time and as a result was at least five minutes earlier than he needed to be. His hair was soaked and hung in wet clumps, not so long that he couldn’t see but instead the perfect length for the ends to slap against his forehead and occasionally stick there. The path was a well worn one. Tough grass which had developed during the years of drought that the planet had endured intermittently for nearly a century, clung to the edges in green-brown clumps. The droughts had kept the Earth teetering on the edge of inhospitable. People could live here, but why would they when the rest of the galaxy was so much more lush and full of enticing opportunities? Alex flicked the hair from his face as he entered the corrugated steel structure at the top of the cliff, the inside smelt of fuel, oil sweat with just a hint of adventure. The Air Dock hung precariously over the edge of the chalk cliff. The various docks numbered 1 to 23 were separated by iron girders and corrugated steel which served as catwalks used to board the various ships which docked at Sky Watch. Not that there were all that many as Sky Watch was one of the smallest public docks on the planet. 

The ship Alex was looking for was stashed in dock 13, ‘ _U_ _nlucky for some,’_ he thought _‘but not for me. Not today.’_ It was lucky to get a job which took you off-planet, especially when you had no prior experience in outer space, or anywhere really. The opportunities for decent employment on Earth had dwindled to a knife’s point which was pointed only at the wealthy and upper classes, not 24 year olds who’s only education was some old textbooks, in an almost abandoned concrete building, in the centre of the wasteland of devastated forests which had died out long ago and either been blackened by fire or bleached white by the sun. But he’d still somehow got the job. The ‘Solar Bark’ was a ship clearly built for a specific function, and possibly out of many ships patched together over the years, but what the purpose was, Alex wasn’t sure. He’d been hired as crew in a ‘no questions asked’ manner, simply given a time, date, dock number and ship’s name by a grumpy woman on a video call. The ship’s hull was a deep blue which faded to black further back, in some places a smooth gradient, and in others it was abrupt and patchy and you could still see the brush strokes. It started off as a sort of wedge shape, a flat rectangle at the very front and then widening out, staying almost flat at the bottom but rising far more sharply on top, a black rectangle suggested a one-way window into the navigation room. The rest of the Solar Bark was relatively symmetrical with two large, flat wings protruding from it’s sides with, what looked to be airlocks above them. At the back, above the thrusters the metal rose up and curved like a thin shark tail, it was maybe a few inches thick and perfectly vertical with a curled end, not dissimilar to the scroll of a violin. It was unique, like nothing Alex had ever seen, and seen a lot of ships. As a child he had loved watching the ships coming and going from space and never seen a ship with a tail like it before.

After several moments of taking the Solar Bark in, Alex noticed a figure stood at the end of the boarding catwalk. She had a holo-clipboard and an irritated crease between her eyebrows. He recognised her as the person he’d spoken to over video chat when he’d been interviewed for the job. What was her name? Sarah? Sandra? He couldn’t remember but approached the woman with caution.

”You’re late.” She stated. Alex checked his watch, he still had three minutes.

”I’m three minutes early ma’am.” Alex had added the ‘ma’am’ to the end because he’d never received any clarification on the matter of who the captain of the Solar Bark actually was, so it might well be the sour faced woman stood in front of him tapping her foot. But he silently hoped it wasn’t.

”You’re last to board, so you’re late.” She waved him along anyway. Alex walked down the catwalk, most ships had boarding bridges to attach to the docks catwalk but the Solar Bark only had a gradiented wing with a strip of black rubber leading from where Alex stood up to the airlock door, which was propped open with someone’s stray exosuit boot. Possibly Sarah followed close behind and Alex pushed open the airlock door with far more fervour than he felt and a deep breath. As soon as he was inside all impressions of the dingy air dock, with its corrugated steel walls, loose bolts and iron girders thinly sprinkled with rust vanished and was replaced by low voltage lights which hummed softly, patchwork walls and laughter echoing down the hall. The air dropped a handful of degrees and felt a whole lot cleaner inside the ship too. The humidity in the air vanished as well, the complete change in atmosphere was enough to make Alex shiver a little. Or perhaps that was the scalding stare of the woman who was convinced he was late burrowing into the back of his head. Either way uncertainty suddenly took root and Alex considered, for the first time really, what he was about to do. Leave Earth. It didn’t sound so hard, but he was leaving home. The only place he’d ever known for the vastness of space. Once considered the final frontier, but now it was more of a holiday destination for the upper classes and an escape for those without that privilege. 

Down one of the thin passageways Alex could hear conversation and laughter. The woman huffed and began to walk towards the source of the noise, Alex simply followed, like some kind of lost puppy. After a short time the passage opened up into a cockpit where three people stood and one sat laughing and talking loudly. One was clearly not human, they would be taller than the humans in the room if they didn’t walk like one of Earth’s extinct apes with their weight on two large, six fingered hands. Their arms were longer than would be proportional on a human and if they stood up like a human would probably hang down to their knees or longer, they were covered in brown fur, probably an inch or so long but much longer and thicker in a pale line down their back and around their neck, like a mane of some sort, following the thick hair along the alien’s spine was a long tail covered in short fur with a thick bush of pale hair at the end and was swishing back and forth. The creature almost seemed too large for the room leaning against the wall, long arms splayed across a desk or control panel of some sort in a relaxed position. This was the first being in the crowded room to notice Alex and the woman’s appearance. Their piercing golden eyes moved lazily over to them and the approximation of a smile spread across the alien’s ape like face, revealing two sets of long, sharp canine teeth and causing their long, catlike ears to swivel to the top of their head and point in Alex’s direction.

”You guys,” they began in a low, slow rumble that Alex could’ve listened to all day but the humans didn’t hear at first, “guys, Sian’s back with the new one.” The alien’s speech was carefully punctuated and lilted gently as they spoke, the sound almost swooping on long vowels. All three heads turned in unison towards where Alex and the woman, Sian, stood. One of them clapped his hands together and an almost wolfish grin split his face. He was handsome with dark black hair and a slightly scruffy undercut. His skin was on the darker side of the usual honey and caramel coloured blend which human skin tones tended to lean towards, his cheekbones and jawline were sharp and defined.

”You must be Alex. My name is Captain James Lysander, and this is my crew, I’ll introduce you in a moment but before that, might I be the first the say: Welcome aboard Alex Morcambe.” Whilst Captain Lysander’s smile seemed awfully genuine, it had just a hint of the way a rabbit feels in the moments after its stepped into a trap yet just before it realises there’s no escape. “Allow me to introduce you to my crew.”


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New chapter in which characters are introduced, enjoy :)

Introductions were relatively brief as the crew wasn’t particularly large. First Captain Lysander gestured towards the large alien who was humming quietly.

“That’s Marloe, that’s not his given name but no one with one set of vocal chords can pronounce his real name, so we make do. Feel free to give it a go if you like.” The Captain smirked a little. Marloe raised a long arm in an approximation of a wave, they grinned showing their large canines, Alex decided he’d rather not get on the wrong side of those. 

Captain Lysander continued “And these lovely ladies,” he gestured to the two other people in the room “are Clara Ashworth and Danita Nightingale.” One of the women, who’s hair was somewhere between an afro and a lion’s mane, it coiled in dark ringlets flying equally outwards and cascading down her shoulders, half shoved the Captain out of the way and half simply stepped in front of him “Thank you, but we can introduce ourselves. I’m Danita and this is-“

”l _thought_ you said we could introduce ourselves.” The final girl cut in, she was slightly shorter than Danita, who was on the verge of six feet, her skin was unusually pale instead of the common honey colour. Her hair was dark and shaved on one side and Alex could see the end of a tattoo peeking above the line of her shirt.

”Sorry.” Danita smirked but had the grace to look somewhat apologetic 

“I’m Clara.” She said, short and not at all sweet, she shoved her hand towards Alex who shook it nervously. “And the old bat who brought you on board is Sian, my mother.” The glare Sian gave Clara could’ve killed a man, fortunately Clara was a woman and therefore didn’t die.

“It’s lovely to-“ Alex began, some form of his ingrained politeness weaselling it’s way to the surface. “I mean, thanks, this is a great-“ he cut himself off, these people looked like they could and possibly would slit his throat “Yeah this ship is dope, or whatever, I’m Alex.” Is what he settled on, after two false starts he was beginning to feel embarrassed and the flush creeping into his cheeks seemed to have taken residence there.

Clara looked ready to burst from repressing laughter. “Dope?” She sniggered, not unkindly, just confused.

“Stars and planets, where did you find this one Lys’?” Danita sounded exasperated, and amused.

“Blame Sian, she was in charge of hiring her own replacement.” Captain Lysander responded, his gaze examining Alex carefully. “At least she chose someone who talks less.”

Sian huffed and stalked out of the room. “Well,” the captain began “Now that’s sorted, lets get off this rock.”

“Aye aye.” Danita smirked, then added a sarcastic “ _Captain_.” To the end before turning on her heel and thunking down into the chair in the centre of the cockpit and punching something into the array of controls, which looked to be nothing more than a whole load of buttons and flashing lights to Alex. As he watched Alex felt a hand slap his shoulder and begin to push him around “C’mon, this isn’t where the view is. This is where we get in her way.” Captain Lysander muttered as he walked past. Alex followed, not entirely sure what else he could do, the room had emptied of the others already. Following the captain through the maze of corridors was no easy task, the ship seemed to have been put together in a random series of walkways, patchy walls and hairpin turns, on top of that Lysander walked much faster then Alex had expected, the heels of his boots clicking softly against the floor as he went.

Eventually the pair arrived at what Alex assumed was the back of the ship, the wall was an odd trianular shape, two of the sides curved inwards towards the point at the top and the botton side was against the floor. The wall was opaque.

“With all due respect, sir, how is this a better view than the front?” Alex asked, still trying to be as polite as possible. The Captain simply leaned against the wall and planted his feet at shoulder width. The ship lurched forewards, throwing Alex against the triangular wall as the floorjuddered and the engines, which were apparently right beneath them, roared to life. Lysander laughed, it was more of a chuckle, but for some reason it was enough to make Alex glad he’d tripped up. 

He only caught the movement out of the corner of his eye as the Captain turned and pushed a small button on the wall which Alex wouldn’t have noticed otherwise and suddenly the wall he had been thrown against shimmered slightly and became translucent. The transformation took a few moments, allowing both of their eyes to adapt to the bright light coming from the engine jets as the system warmed up and the ship began to move, slowly at first then faster away from the Air Dock. Alex watched in awe as the distance between him and the only place he’d ever known grew. The girders of the Air Docks jutting out over the cliff drifted past, the idea of ground vanished into genlte waves rolling hundreds of metres below and crashing against the chalk cliffs in a burst of white foam. The rain surrounded them, Alex could see the stacks of transport crates in the distance, a steel jungle he had called home. But now to his right there was a bright flash as lightning flashed and forked its way across the sky, the dark clouds bowed and heavy, laden with the promise of more rain to come. Alex breathed out slowly, his breath misting on the glass, ahead land was almost gone, beneath him, past the glow of the engines was endless amounts of water, constantly moving. All around was rain, running off the sides of the Solar Bark and up above there was rain clouds and open sky. All of space, millions of stars, thousands of habitable planets and a new life, just waiting to be lived. Alex glanced at Captain Lysander, who was staring impassively out of the window, and smiled to himself as he turned back to watch Earth vanish beneath him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop 5001 awesome points for you!

**Author's Note:**

> Woah! You made it to the end, 5000 awesome space points for you!


End file.
